June 15/13 0:00 am - Banff Fest Stage 2A and 2B

Posted by Editoress on 06/15/13

Saturday was a 2 stage day with a 21 km ITT in the morning and a downtown Banff crit in the evening.

Stage 2A: ITT

The riders awoke on Saturday morning knowing all too well that the 21km Individual Time Trial was going to be anything but a scenic ride around Lake Minnewanka. For the GC hopefuls and stage hunters, this stage was going to be all business, and everything they had in them was going to be left behind on the course.

First up to challenge the course were the Cat 3 through 5 Men. Dressed in skin suits, aero helmets and riding TT-specific gear on their bikes, they headed out of town in 30-second intervals with the wind at their backs, and a mix of sun and cloud above their heads.

After fighting that same wind on the final stretch up Banff Ave. to the finish, the fastest times were established. Our Cat 5 Men's winner was Micah Medinski (ERTC) in a time of 31:18; the Cat 4 Men's winner was Kurt Hauser (Team Saskatchewan) in 30:29; and the day's Cat 3 Men's winner was Dalton Fayad (Regina Cycling Club) with a fast time of 28:20.

The Open Women's category had the potential for total domination in the Time Trial by the group of women racing for Trek Red Truck p/b Mosaic Homes - all are strong racing against the clock. Kristine Brynjolfson, having won this race in convincing fashion last year, was looking for another great ride which could potentially put her on the podium again, or even in the GC leader's jersey.

Yet today was something special for a young rider out of Edmonton, Kinley Gibson, riding for her Juventus club. Gibson had the ride of her cycling career, crushing the field with a time of 31:18 - a full 40 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Brynjolfson. "It was a nice day to race. The temperature was good and the wind was not too inhibiting. I felt good on the bike, and caught four riders in front of me," explained Gibson as she tried to catch her breath post-race.

When asked about her improvement in Time Trials, Gibson added "I spent many hours on the Computrainer last winter working on my TT fitness. The hard work paid off today."

Not only did Gibson win the stage, she also moved up in the overall standings to become the new race leader. "This is the first time Kinley has been a GC leader. She is hoping to get selected to represent Canada at the Junior Road World Championships and hopefully this will help her get there," commented her mom Linda.

With the team of Trek Red Truck filling in second through fifth in the overall standings, it's going to be a David and Goliath battle until the end. Trek Red Truck has a strong team of five riders, while Gibson is riding solo without teammates. "We are working well as a team right now," said Brynjolfson, "We have many different people who can win these races, and we will need a strong team effort to win the GC."

A similar situation was unfolding in the Cat 1/2 Men's race. Trek Red Truck p/b Mosaic Homes has the strongest team, many of whom are also strong in the Time Trial. Team rider Bailey McKnight, who is sitting 2nd overall explained, "Both Jesse Reams and Craig Ritchey are strong in the Time Trial. Even I have improved. It's like magic. This year I have learned how to ride a TT bike."

On paper, the rider to beat was Kris Dahl (Team H & R Block). Dahl won this event in convincing fashion in 2012 and was planning to do the same this year. This was not only for the stage win or for the GC, but for the Tour of Alberta team selection prize as well. Those chasing him were well aware of Dahl's strengths.

Colter Young, a Fort St. John native riding for the Saskatchewan Business College Cycling Project p/b Red Goat sports, and sitting second behind Dahl commented, "My goals for 2013 are to do well in the Summer Games, and more importantly, to beat Kris for the UCI spot." Michael van den Ham (Russ Hayes Accent Inns p/b Paciic Cycling Centre) also had plans of his own. Sitting in third place for the UCI race prize, van den Ham stated "It is Kris's spot to lose. I am on a borrowed TT bike with a borrowed disc wheel. If I can be within 30 to 60 seconds of Kris, I will at least have a chance with two stages to go."

Post-race the results tent featured a crowd of anxious riders, waiting for their TT times to see where they sit going into tonight's Criterium. After a short delay, the final placings were posted with most of the contenders present. Chris McNeil (Soulsportif), who has quietly been going about his business, took the stage in an impressive time of 26:57.99. The pair from Trek Red Truck, Craig Ritchey and Bailey McKnight, finished 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Once the numbers were crunched by the top-notch timing services of Zone 4, the new GC leader was McKnight. When asked about his great Time Trial, McKnight jokingly said it helped starting behind Dahl who finished 7th, "I felt like I had a great ride today. It sure helped having a quick bunny ahead of me to catch."

With only a few hours to rest and recuperate, the riders will be center stage once again in the heart of downtown Banff for the Criterium. If the weather continues in its pleasant fashion, a great evening of racing is in store for the huge crowds of spectators expected to be on hand for Stage 3.

Results below

Stage 2B: Criterium

In bike racing, the Criterium is the feature event. It is the opportunity to showcase the pure beauty and speed of the sport of cycling to the masses, and to highlight the venue and its residents who have proudly shared their home to the sport and the athletes. Banff is a gracious host, and should be very proud of the way they have welcomed cycling each year to the Banff National Park Bike Fest.

The evening activities kicked off with the Balkan Restaurant Little Crit that saw the race course packed with young riders, riding down Banff Ave. to the cheers of the crowd. Following the kid's crit, the charity costume ride took to the streets, always a welcome event as a prelude to the fast-paced racing to come.

Following the opening acts came the main events and first up was the Cat 5 Men's Crit. This race was highlighted by an early solo attack by Dougal Owen (Bicisport) who held off the charging pack until 10 laps to go. With the pack all together it came down to a close sprint with Lawrence Zalasky (Speed Theory) taking the win.

Then the Cat 4 Men took to the start line featuring one of the sports up-and-coming stars. Colin Croston (Rundle Mountain Cycling Club) impressed the crowd with an early attack, and then with the support of his team, powered to an easy victory like he did in the Lake Louise road race. Expect to see this talented rider racing with the Cat 1/2 Men in 2014.

The Cat 3 Men were the last race before the Open Women. Strong work off the front by both the Juventus and Cyclemeisters p/b Bow Cycle teams helped to animate the race, but at the finish it was Scott Lundy (Serious Cycling) who took the victory.

The Open Women's category took an unexpected turn earlier on Saturday on Stage 2 when Kinley Gibson (Juventus) took the leader's jersey away from Jenny Lehman (Trek Red Truck p/b Mosaic Homes) with a crushing time trial result around Lake Minnewanka. Speaking with Gibson as she put on her leader's jersey before the Criterium, she commented, "It feels great to be the leader of my first stage race. I know the Trek girls will be bringing it to me, and I plan to go with any breaks they create."

With four riders in second to fifth position in the GC, the Trek Red Truck team was fired up and not going to just sit in and let things unfold. Team manager Dave Vuket commented, "We are not going to leave anything to chance. We are going to go for it tonight."

And go for it they did. The team of five riders delivered a blitzkrieg of attacks throughout the race. The pack soon split to contain 10 lead riders. Even with this smaller group, Trek kept the pressure on, with work from everyone on their team. Yet even through this domination, the strong and savvy Gibson matched their every move and even took the preem sprint for $100.

In the final push to the line, Trek's domination paid off with Allison Beveridge taking the win, followed by teammates Lehman and Sarah Coney. "We tried to make it hard and put Kinley in pain," said Beveridge. "After the awards we are going to bed so we can get up in the morning and do it all over again."

Gibson's efforts kept her in the leader's jersey with a posse of Trek Red Truck riders just under a minute behind including Beveridge, Kristine Brynjolfson, Megan Rathwell and Lehmann, so look for more fireworks at Sunday's finale.

The Men's Cat 1/2 race was up next, and this also had the makings of something special, just like the women's race. Trek Red Truck p/b Mosaic Homes had the first and second spot on the GC with Bailey McKnight and Craig Ritchey leading, while Russ Hayes and H&R Block were also in the mix, and had more than just the stage win on their mind.

Both teams not only had stage wins and GC hopes, but they also had two riders vying for the entry into the Tour of Alberta with a US Continental team. "With [Jordan] Cheyne up on the GC, we have a podium chance, and with [Michael] van den Ham we have a shot at the Tour of Alberta spot. I feel it will get blown apart tomorrow. We have a strong team and will do what it takes," explained Emile De Rosney (Russ Hays Accent Inns p/b Pacific Sport).

Under clear skies with only a slight wind, the Cat 1/2 men set off on their 50-lap assault on the streets of Banff. Under the shadows of the surrounding mountains, this 100-strong field was set to unleash hell on bikes for the entertainment of the spectator-packed course.

Vukets had a similar plan for his Trek Red Truck p/b Mosaic Homes men as he did for his women. "We are all in for Bailey to win the GC. Not only has he been riding well, he has stepped up as a team leader. We are holding nothing back tonight."

And hold back they did not. Trek Red Truck was the dominant team and took charge early with every rider on their team taking turns to attack the already strung-out peloton. But to everyone's credit, the other teams also came to play, and the race was a show of some great talent, skill and pure will power. Aaron Schooler and Justin Kerr (H&R Block) did the lion's share of attacking and chasing down breaks, while Emile De Rosney, Sid Martindale and others on the Russ Hays team did the same, leaving nothing to chance and establishing their rightful place as dominant players.

With one lap to go, H&R Block took to the front and laid down a text book lead-out for Kris Dahl to easily take the win, with Mark Enter (Speed Theory) taking second. Not only did Dahl take the win, but he also put more valuable time into his quest to secure the Tour of Alberta spot. "My team gave me a phenomenal lead-out on the last lap. Schooler did a great last pull and I almost didn't have to do anything to win. It was an awesome team effort," said an excited Dahl post-race.

A somber GC leader McKnight expressed his views of the race, "Our result tonight is pretty average. We lost two guys early in the crash, and even though they got back in, they were pretty banged up. They were an important part of our plan. Besides that, keeping the GC is good."

Tomorrow's final Stage 4 Tunnel Mountain road race promises to be a repeat of this evening's action-packed battle with the power teams going for broke to capture the coveted GC leader's jerseys.